


Scars

by SeaSpectre160



Category: Bakugan Battle Brawlers
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, New Vestroia, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Vendettas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-07-16
Updated: 2010-07-04
Packaged: 2018-02-13 12:05:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2150112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeaSpectre160/pseuds/SeaSpectre160
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ace wonders his captor went so far. As he searches for an answer, he learns that his nightmare has only started.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: No Other Options

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so here's my sequel to '[Going through Hell to get to Heaven](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2144499)'. This one is much longer, but it ties up one loose end, which is mentioned in the very first paragraph.
> 
> A lot of flashbacks take place before the time of the original Bakugan series. My guess is that Alpha, Beta, and Delta cities were already established, and that they were moved when New Vestroia was colonized, so everything inside the cities was the same, geographically speaking.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bakugan, or any of its characters. But I do own Jayme (pronounced: Jamie), Kiera, Doyle, Miranda, Schuyler, Brandon, and Kyli. Pretty much all of Ace's family, old friends, and one of the people he loathes and despises.

Why? That was the question Ace had been asking himself since he woke up in the hospital. Why did he have to go through this hell? Sure, he'd broken into a government laboratory, but it was a _corrupt_ government. And even though he knew the security guards didn't see it that way, there was no reason for that one to beat him within an inch of his life.

He'd kept asking that over and over again in his mind. Why, why, _why_? He never brought this up with anyone, but he knew some of them, if not all of them, were wondering the same thing, too. They only talked about it when he was asleep, or when they thought he was asleep. No one could come up with an answer, besides the fact that the guard in question was a sadist. That one did make sense, as Ace had a broken arm, broken leg, broken ribs, two crushed hands, three missing teeth, and a pair of black eyes to prove it. The only thing everyone did admit to him was that his survival was nothing short of a miracle.

A week later, the arm was the only thing that hadn't healed. While his other bones had only been cracked, that one had been snapped completely in half. That, and of course his teeth weren't going to grow back. After this had all passed, they would probably be the brunt of Dan's bad jokes, though at least they’d all been back teeth, so their absence wasn’t obvious. Ace was currently in bed right now, trying to get to sleep. His pain medication was slowly making him drowsy, but it still took forever. Shun said the incident had probably made him too paranoid to sleep with both eyes shut. In truth, Ace was a little scared. The entire hour of torture revisited him in his dreams every time. Worst of all was the sound of breaking glass. With that noise came the memory of the first injury he'd received that day (getting shoved through a window), and that triggered memories of the later, much worse ones.

He heard the door open, but didn't bother to open his eyes. It was just probably one of his teammates, coming in to check up on him. Ever since he'd gotten out of the hospital, they had been constantly checking to make sure he was all right.

"Ace?" Sure enough, Mira was in the room. He'd know her soft voice anywhere. "Ace, you... um... have a couple visitors."

Slowly, Ace opened his eyes, and immediately wished he hadn't. Standing there with Mira was the last person he wanted to see. "What do you want, Jayme?" he muttered bitterly.

His brother glared back at him. "What?" he replied, "Can't a guy visit his little brother when he's in pain?"

"You're enjoying this. I know you are."

"Ace!" His second guest, so small he hadn't noticed her before, ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Ace couldn't help but smile. This was the one person he'd regretted leaving behind.

"Kiera!" His little sister looked at him with her hopeful grey eyes. "Hey, I missed you." A sudden wave of dizziness came over him as he sat up, and he groaned involuntarily. Kiera's smile vanished.

"What's wrong?"

"It's okay. I'm just a little tired. You don't have to worry about me."

Kiera noticed his cast. "What happened to your arm?"

"Uh... I just fell. It'll be fine." As his head started spinning, Ace was forced to lie down again.

"He needs rest right now," he heard Mira telling Jayme and Kiera, "We should probably let him sleep."

That was all he heard before drifting into his nightmare.

* * *

The sound of shattering glass was the first thing that told him he was asleep. It just wouldn't stop. He saw it again; something coming at his right side out of the corner of his eye, slamming into him and hurling him through the glass wall. Everything was in slow motion. The jagged shards flew by him, some embedding themselves in his body. He kept falling, down, down, down. The rest of the Resistance were floating in mid-air as he plummeted past them. Each of them reached out to catch him, but they vanished into the darkness before he could grasp their hands. Then the blood-spattered floor of the interrogation room became visible below him, getting closer and closer until...

He woke up in a cold sweat that stuck his t-shirt to his chest. Looking around, he pinched himself to be sure that he was awake. Ow. He was. Outside his window, the sun had moved a considerable distance. It was around sunset, now.

Slowly, Ace got out of bed and left his room. He was still exhausted, but he would rather deal with that than go through another nightmare.

Dan, Shun, Marucho, Mira, and Baron were all outside, eating supper. Ace was disgusted to see that Jayme was with them, too. Kiera, who was sitting next to her eldest brother, was the first to notice him. She got up, ran over, and hugged his legs, the highest she could reach. "Did ya sleep good?" she asked him.

"Mm-hm," he lied, "But I'm glad you're still here." He knelt down and put her in a playful headlock with his good arm. "I missed having you around."

"Me, too."

"I survived fine, thanks for asking," Jayme's rough voice interrupted them. Ace glared at him. "Little bro, we need to talk."

Ace reluctantly let go of Kiera and followed his brother into the transport. They stopped in the hallway, and Jayme leaned up against the wall.

"Okay, so what's this all about?" Ace snapped. Not that he didn't appreciate seeing his little sister again, but Jayme was a completely different story. They'd never quite gotten along as kids, and his indifference to the Bakugans' plight had been the last straw. "I know you're not worried about me. Why are you really here?"

"You always did know me too well. Look, I'm not here because of your little accident, but-"

"I wouldn't call it an accident. Or little, for that matter." Ace gestured to his arm in its sling. "This is barely the tip of the iceberg."

"Whatever. It's not the reason I'm here. Yesterday, I got an e-mail from some guy who said he knew Mom and Dad." Ace's eyes widened. The brothers hadn’t mentioned their parents in a long time. Well they answered whenever Kiera had questions about them, but never discussed Mom and Dad with each other. "He told me where to find you, and that if you know what's good for you, you'll leave the Resistance."

"What? No! There is no way I'm abandoning my friends."

"I knew you'd say that. And so did the guy who e-mailed me. He said he has info on what happened to Mom and Dad. If you don't go through with this, we'll never find out. _Ever_. Oh, and he said the rest of your little team can't know anything about this."

Ace sighed, closing his eyes and leaning against the wall. What to do? Family or friends? Mom and Dad or Mira and the Resistance? "I don't know."

"Well, you'd better decide soon. I've got only a few minutes to send back a reply."

Ace's eyes snapped open. "So you wait until now to tell me this?"

"Hey, I'm not the one who decided to take a three-hour nap. Look, just make up your mind."

* * *

Five minutes later, Ace had packed everything he could, and headed for Jayme's car, which was parked right outside the transport. "Hey, Ace!" Dan called to him, "Where ya going?"

Ace sighed. "I'm leaving the Resistance," he replied regretfully.

"WHAT?" The others immediately stood up and ran over. "Why?!"

"I can't say why, it’s a family thing, but I don't have a choice. Believe me, guys, this is the last thing I want to do. But I have to go home."

Dan, Marucho, and Baron stared at him in shock, Shun's expression was unreadable, and Mira... Mira looked like she was about to cry at any minute. She took him by the hand gently. "Okay," she whispered, "We'll miss you." Ace felt a deep, stabbing pain in his heart. Mira was the last person he wanted to leave behind.

"I'll miss you, too." Mira hugged him one last time before letting him climb into the passenger seat of the car. Jayme was already behind the wheel, and Kiera was in the back. Jayme started up the car, and Ace stared at his friends in the mirror as they disappeared behind him.

* * *

Dan angrily kicked at the table, regretting it when he stubbed his toe. "How could Ace leave us like that?" he cried, hopping on one foot.

"Calm down, Master Dan," Baron advised him, "You heard what he said. He doesn't have a choice, and he can't tell us why."

"But it's just so sudden! It probably has something to do with whatever Jayme had to say to him."

"Obviously," Shun agreed, "Ace _did_ say it was family stuff. He wouldn't go unless it was something so important he couldn't say no. We just have to hope he'll be able to come back someday."

"Yeah, but who knows when that'll be? Tomorrow, next week, next year? We can't wait forever!"

"Look," Mira's commanding tone silenced everyone around her, "Even though we're down one member, it doesn't mean our objective has changed. It's just going to be a little trickier. What we need to do now is try to figure out a new plan to take down the Beta City Dimension controller." She turned and walked back into the transport, not saying another word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been working on this for ages, and since my other stories are kind of going nowhere (or at least the one that should've been published last Saturday but isn't even finished) I figured I would put this much up.


	2. Chapter 1: Conspiracy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back for another chapter of Scars! Just to recap, it's been about a week since the events of 'Going through Hell to get to Heavn', and Ace's arm is the only thing that hasn't healed yet. I don't know how medically accurate that is. I'm no doctor, and besides, Ace isn't actually human. Anyway, Ace's brother and sister come for a visit. His brother Jayme tells him about a message saying that if they want to know what happened to their missing parents, Ace has to quit the Bakugan Brawlers Resistance. Ace agrees.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I don't own Bakugan. Have we made that clear?

Ace shivered as Beta City came into view. He may have grown up there, but it'd stopped being his real home long ago, especially after his near-death experience just weeks ago. As the sun was setting, Jayme eventually pulled to a stop in front of their house. Years had passed since they'd lived there; Kiera had only been a baby at that point, and Jayme had been too young to live alone. So when Mom and Dad disappeared, the three of them were put into a foster home. Ace wasn't surprised that nobody had bought it; rumours had been going around since he was a child that it was haunted. He remembered not being able to sleep with the lights off for years, until he stopped believing in ghosts.

The house itself hadn't changed a bit, aside from collecting a large amount of dust. The door had the same creak every time it was opened exactly halfway, the furniture that remained still retained a hint of the scent of the pine-scented air freshener Ace's mother always used, and on the wall by the staircase was a record of how Jayme and Ace had grown over the years. The sense of nostalgia hit him like a tidal wave. It'd never occurred to him how much he'd missed home, until now.

Plenty of their possessions were still sitting untouched right where they'd always been. No one had bothered to move anything. Of course, no one had ever thought Mom and Dad would still be missing for years. A framed photo sat on a nearby ledge, dust completely obscuring the image. Ace reached up and grabbed it, sadly reminding himself of the fact that last time he'd tried, he hadn't been anywhere near tall enough to reach it. Carefully, he blew the dust off to reveal a portrait of a small, happy family of five.

Ace had been only ten years old at the time, grinning with Dad standing behind him, Mom holding Kiera on his left, and Jayme on his right. His big brother's arm was wrapped protectively around him, but Ace clearly remembered how, as soon as the picture had been taken, it'd turned into a tight headlock. Of course, that'd been just mild sibling rivalry. With the arguments that'd taken place shortly before his own 'disappearance', Ace doubted it would ever be like that again.

And that was just fine with him. After Mom and Dad had vanished, Jayme had changed for the worse. He’d grown colder, more distant, until the big brother Ace had grown up with had vanished altogether, and he was never coming back.

Ace felt a presence near his shoulder, and realised Jayme was standing right next to him, also looking at the picture. His expression, however, suggested he didn't feel the same way about those memories. The older brother took the photograph and dismissively set it back on the ledge, prodding Ace to move forward. Ace glared at him before following Jayme down into the basement.

This was one place he didn't miss. The number of cobwebs had increased hundredfold, as had the amount of dust. Kiera whimpered and squeezed his hand tightly with both of hers. "Why are we down here?" she whispered.

"I was wondering the same thing," Ace stated, more so to Jayme than to Kiera, "Why'd we have to come back here at all?" Jayme said nothing. "Hello? I'm waiting for an answer."

"This is where we're supposed to meet him." Jayme's response was short and rushed.

"In our old basement?! Are you brain-dead?! It's probably some sort of trap."

"What makes you think that?"

"Come on, Mom and Dad have been gone for years, then we get some message telling me I have to abandon all my friends and everything I stand for, and come meet some guy in our abandoned house. What about that _doesn't_ sound like a trap to you?"

"Very perceptive." A familiar, high-pitched male voice interrupted the brothers' argument. "I guess you _are_ smarter than you look." It was followed by slightly deranged laughter that Ace instantly recognised.

"What do you want, Shadow?" he snapped.

"Not much," a female voice replied casually, "Just a little favour for an old friend. Oh, and we heard about what happened last week, Ace. Especially after the damage you did to that window in the west hallway. And I thought that Dan kid was the one with the hard head."

Ace growled. "Why don't you come out and face me instead of hiding in the dark?"

"Fine." Three figures stepped out from behind a stack of boxes: Mylene, Shadow, and a random guy in a Vexos guard uniform. Ace's mouth went dry at the sight of him. He gritted his teeth, trying to block the memories that were coming back to him.

"Oh, and you remember Doyle, right?" Shadow gestured to the guard, the same demented, wacky smile on his face. The guard smirked in a way Ace found far too familiar. This was just any guard. It was _the_ guard.

_A strong blow to the back of his head brought him back to the completely one-sided conversation. “Are you going to answer me? Or am I gonna have to make you talk?"_

_“You’re a stubborn kid, you know that? You don’t know when to shut up and when to talk.” Ace, curled up on the floor in his own blood, made a grab for the man’s legs, but missed. The foot he’d been aiming for came crashing down on his fingers._

_“Aaaaaaagh!” Ace cradled his hand, sick when he realised one finger was bending the wrong way._

_His captor went for his leg next. He stomped on it, hard. Ace instinctively reached out to his injury with his other hand, only to have it crushed as well. A loud snap could be heard as the bone cracked, followed by a fiery pain spreading through his whole leg. His shouts could probably be heard for miles outside the city._

_Ace had finally managed to strike back by kicking his captor’s shin. However, he found that the price was just too much to bear. First was another fist to his face. Ace was coughing up blood and spitting out some knocked-out teeth when the final blow came._

_The man grabbed him by the left arm and heaved him to his feet. Ace struggled to keep upright on one leg. Then his arm was twisted behind his back. Ace tried to pull free, but immediately regretted it. His captor was pulling in one direction, he was pulling in another, and a loud SNAP was clearly audible._

_“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!” It was just like what’d happened to his leg, but over a thousand times worse. He fell into the side of the table, catching the left side of his face on the sharp corner as he went down. Now blood was streaming from his cheek. Ace felt himself being picked up by the back of his shirt and then slammed into the table again, this time hitting his forehead. The world started spinning, and Ace could feel himself slipping into darkness._

The monster who'd done all that was standing right there, ready to do it again. Ace pulled Kiera closer behind him protectively. "Yeah," he spat, "I remember."

"You gonna introduce me?" Jayme cut in, sounding almost bored. Ace didn't reply. "Well? You should answer me. You _know_ I can get you to talk, right?"

" _Are you gonna answer me? Or am I gonna have to make you talk?"_

Ace squeezed his eyes shut. Now even his own brother was a reminder of that experience. He whirled around to face Jayme. "Don't _ever_ say that again," he threatened. He knew the tremor in his voice ruined the façade he was putting on. He couldn't help it. It was going to happen again.

"Hey!" Shadow interrupted, "We're still right here!"

Ace turned his attention back to the Vexos. "Why is _he_ here?"

Mylene shrugged. "He's the old friend I mentioned. Apparently has some problem with your family and tried taking it out on you last week. Now he wants to finish the job, plain and simple. But trust me, if you weren't involved with the Resistance, this wouldn't be worth my time."

The guard, Doyle, stepped forward. "That wasn't the first time we met, though," he stated, in that rough, cruel voice, "You might not remember, but I'm sure your brother does." He slowly lifted the visor that concealed his eyes, and Ace could hear Jayme gasp slightly behind him.

"You," his brother growled, taking a step forward.

"What?" Ace asked, "How do _you_ know him?"

"He showed up at our place a couple weeks before Mom and Dad disappeared. Remember that day someone came to the door, and we had to stay upstairs for five hours?"

Ace nodded. He remembered that, all right. Even through his locked bedroom door – which he hadn’t been able to unlock because Jayme had hidden the key – the shouting downstairs had been audible, if you pressed your ear to the wood; which was exactly what Ace had been doing while Jayme was distracted with Kiera.

"Yeah, I remember a lot a yelling, and you wouldn't let me downstairs for a simple drink of water."

"Well, that was him. I had a feeling he had something to do with it when our parents went missing."

"And you were right," Doyle added, "I know exactly where they are, if you want to see them."

"On one condition," Mylene interrupted, pointing at Ace, "Hand over all your Bakugan."

Ace glared at her. "No way," he growled through gritted teeth.

"Then you'll never see your family again. It's that simple."

Ace felt something wrap around his neck, and then he realised Jayme had him in a headlock, and was digging into his pockets. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

"We don't have time for these stupid things!" Jayme insisted, "Are you going to choose some mindless, soulless creatures over Mom and Dad?"

"Don't call them that!" His utter hatred for his brother was rolling of his shoulders in waves. He tried fighting Jayme off, but with only one arm to work with, he was unsuccessful. His brother finally pulled out Percival and Falconfly, placing them in Shadow's outstretched hand.

The Vexos' Darkus Brawler's red eyes glimmered with malice. "Ooh, I'm gonna have some fun with these two!" he exclaimed, like a kid receiving a shiny new toy for Christmas.

Mylene sighed and rolled her eyes. "Alright, let's go," she ordered.

Ace was slumped over in the backseat of the Vexos' transport vehicle, defeated. Jayme had practically carried him all the way there, and it was only when he was tossed in that the Resistance fighter stopped struggling. He stared blankly at his feet, not paying attention to anything around him.

He didn't know what he wanted anymore. His parents had been out of his life long enough that he knew how to survive without them, but at the same time, he wanted to be in their arms again. He only wished he hadn't had to give up his Bakugan. What would the others say if they knew? How were they doing right now? He hated not knowing, he just _hated_ it.

Jayme kept nudging him in the side, but Ace ignored him. That was another thing; his own brother had literally taken his two of closest friends away from him, without so much as a care. How could he be so heartless? His own flesh and blood!

And then there was whole part about going to see Mom and Dad. The more he thought about it, the more sure Ace became that it was a trap. As long as the Vexos were involved, nothing was as it seemed. For all he knew, his parents were dead.

Jayme still wouldn't leave him alone. Ace looked up and glared at him. "What?" he hissed.

"Listen, I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Sure, _now_ you figure it out."

"So as soon as you get a chance, run."

"What?"

"Grab Kiera and make a break for it. I'll try and follow you if I can."

"But-"

"Look, she's too young to take care of herself, and you're hurt. I'm the only one who might stand a chance against these guys. You two need to get away. Try and find someone who can help."

Ace opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted when the hovercraft jerked violently. "Shadow!" Mylene snapped, "Ugh, this is the last time I'm letting you pilot this thing!"

They landed with a hard _bump_ , and everyone got out. Ace took a look around. They were in some sort of hanger. They had to be inside the Vexos' base. Dozens of guards swarmed around the place like mindless drones. Sometimes Ace had to wonder if they really knew what they were fighting for. Mira had mentioned the ones who'd temporarily captured them at Alpha City had been shocked when they heard about the Bakugan.

Doyle grabbed Ace's bad arm and started dragging him after the others. He let out a sadistic chuckle at the resulting gasp of pain. The painkillers he'd taken hours ago were starting to lose their effect, and the rest were in Jayme's car, abandoned in front of the house.

Jayme coughed, and 'accidentally' bumped into Doyle. The man growled and let go. Ace scooped his little sister up as best as he could while Jayme and Doyle started a fierce staring contest. Shadow and Mylene, who'd been in the middle of threatening one of the guards, eventually took notice of the silent battle. "Quit dawdling, you two," Mylene snapped, "We've got places to be, and better things to do with our time."

Without warning, Jayme swung and punched Doyle in the face. Everyone turned their attention to him, completely ignoring his siblings. After a few seconds, Ace took off running towards the only open door, holding Kiera tightly.

It took them a while to notice, but soon half the guards were after them. Their blasters barely missed him by inches, but he was lucky. Ace made it out another door and kept running, through a hole in the chain-link fence – like he said, lucky – and out into the street.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, I wonder what'll happen next? Seriously, I'm not sure how this story will work out at all. Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 2: Old Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here's chapter 2!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bakugan, or any of its characters. But I do own Jayme (pronounced: Jamie), Kiera, Doyle, Miranda, Schuyler, Brandon, and Kyli. Pretty much all of Ace's family, old friends, and one of the people he loathes and despises.

It was easy to lose the guards after that. Eventually, Ace stopped at a park, gasping for breath. He set Kiera down before dropping to his knees, trying to get his strength back. They couldn't stay there for very long; it was only a matter of time before they were found again.

"Ace?" His head shot up at the sound of the familiar voice. He looked to his left and saw Kyli standing there, a confused expression on her face. Brandon was right behind her, looking just as bewildered. "Ace Grit, is that you?"

Ace couldn't believe it. He hadn't seen the Jarvis siblings since the day he ran away to join the Resistance. They'd been like family to him in the foster home. Brandon, a Haos Brawler, was only a year younger than him, and Kyli, who preferred Ventus, a year older. The three of them would practise their Bakugan strategies together all the time.

He slowly got to his feet, still holding on to Kiera with one arm. "Hey, guys," he replied weakly, "Been awhile, huh?"

"I'll say," Brandon murmured, "What happened to you? And where'd you disappear to?"

"You've heard of the Bakugan Brawlers Resistance, right?"

"Those rebels who keep stealing Bakugan?"

"It's more like we've been rescuing them."

" _We_? You're part of it?" Brandon clenched his fist and stepped forward threateningly, only to be held back by his sister.

"Yeah. The Bakugan are living creatures that can think for themselves, but we Vestals have been treating them like pets and slaves. The Resistance was formed to free them and give them back their home. Ask them yourselves if you want."

"Ask them?"

"Yeah, a lot of the Bakugan can talk. I'd show you my Percival, but he was taken from me."

"Taken?" Kyli edged a little closer, sympathy in her eyes.

"It's a long story. I don't have time for all the details." A shout could be heard off in the distance. They were getting closer. "Look, I need your help. This is really important."

"But-"

Kiera wrapped her trembling arms more tightly around her brother's neck. She was terrified. "Please. They're going to find us soon, and I don't want to think about what'll happen after that."

Both of his friends hesitated, but then nodded. "Come on," Brandon told him, "We know a good place to hide around here." Kyli took Kiera in her arms and Brandon supported an exhausted Ace as they hurried out of the park, through some back alleys, and through a set of rusted doors.

Ace looked around. The room they were in was in rough shape. "Where are we?"

"We found this place a couple weeks back," Kyli explained, "It's perfect for us to practise with our Bakugan where no one can see. We're going to rock the upcoming tournament!"

"But why all the secrecy?"

"So that nobody knows our moves. That way, the challengers won't have any idea of what we're capable of! Of course, with our new Bakugan, there's no way we can lose!" She pulled a Ventus Bakugan out of her pocket. "Check it out! This is my new Ventus Harpus, and Brandon's got a Haos Tentaclear."

Ace had a funny feeling he'd heard those names somewhere. "Harpus and Tentaclear, huh? I think somebody's told me about them before."

Brandon and Kyli looked surprised. "Really?" Brandon asked, "The guy who gave them to us said they were pretty special. He hadn't heard of any of the same type of Bakugan in any of the other attributes."

"He also mentioned something about humans, too," Kyli added, "Whatever they are."

"They're people from another world," Ace explained, "A place called Earth. They played Bakugan there, too. You know those legends of the six fighting Bakugan that saved Vestroia?" Both of them nodded. "Well, they were all partnered with humans, part of a team known as the Bakugan Battle Brawlers. I've personally met half the humans on that team, and two of those Bakugan."

Kyli gasped. "Really?"

"Mm-hm. When we Vestals came here, all the Bakugan were sucked up and enslaved. One of the fighting Bakugan, Drago, was fused with the Perfect Core, so he was out of reach, and another one, Tigrerra, escaped as well. When the Resistance formed, Tigrerra fought alongside us, but we lost her. Then Drago was separated from the Core and returned to help, but he made a detour to Earth and brought two of the Brawlers with him. Dan and Marucho joined us, and then their old teammate Shun showed up, and decided to help as well. We're trying to help the Bakugan get their freedom back. Our problem is that nobody believes us."

"Yeah, and we don't believe you, either," Brandon snapped, "Unless you can prove to us that the Bakugan can talk, we might as well hand you over to the cops right now."

"Brandon!" Kyli gasped, grabbing his arm, "How do you know he's not telling the truth?"

"Because it's one of the craziest stories I've ever heard!"

"Well I don't find it hard to believe." Ace was startled when the new voice interrupted the argument. He looked all over the room, trying to find the source, but nobody was there. "After all, I was there."

"Where are you?" Ace demanded, "Show yourself!"

"Right here!" The sound came from Kyli's hand.

She opened her fist in surprise to reveal her Harpus. "What the? Did... did that Bakugan just speak?"

"Yeah, I did." Harpus seemed pretty proud of herself. "I've been waiting for the chance to talk to you, but you and your brother never pay attention!" She rose up so that she was level with Ace's nose. "And you, did you say you know the Brawlers?"

"Uh…" Ace stammered, "Yeah. How do _you_ know them?"

"Oh, we go way back. My partner Komba and Tentaclear's partner Julio were really close with the Brawlers. We helped them out in the final battle!"

"So _that_ 's why I thought your names sounded familiar!" Ace slapped his forehead, immediately regretting it as his recently acquired headache increased. "Dan and Marucho told me all about it!"

"Just those two? I thought you said Shun was – oh, yeah. I forgot, he doesn’t talk a lot, unless it's really important."

Ace chuckled a bit. "Yeah, I've noticed."

"Listen, if you're friends with the Brawlers, then you can bet I'll help you out! Just tell me what I need to do!" A Haos Bakugan, most likely Tentaclear, popped up beside her, and made a funny little up and down motion that Ace assumed to be a nod of agreement.

"Same here," Kyli insisted. Her soft black eyes were full of apprehension and awe as she stared at Harpus. "This is so unbelievable, but I'm not going to let you get yourself into anything you can't handle alone, Harpus. Not without me."

Brandon stepped so that he was right behind his sister. "I'm in, too," he admitted reluctantly, "I guess we don't have any other choice, anyway."

Ace smiled at his old friends. "Thanks, guys."

"So, what's been going on, anyway? What are you doing here?"

"It's a long story."

"So what? You know I like long stories."

Ace sighed and sat down. The siblings did the same, and Kyli released Kiera so that the girl could return to her big brother. She hadn't said a word since they were at the house. "Last week, we tried infiltrating the Vexos' base here, just to figure out what they were up to, but we got caught. Everyone got away but me. I was taken into an interrogation room, and was left in there with just one guard for an hour. I barely survived after what he put me through." He glanced pointedly at his injured arm, and Kyli and Brandon nodded in shocked understanding. "If the others hadn't shown up in time, I probably would've died. I had to spend a night in the hospital, and still have this bad arm, not to mention my leg still kills me once in a while. Then, this evening…" He trailed off. Had it really been the same day?

"Yeah?" Brandon asked him, "What happened? Oof!"

Kyli had elbowed him in the ribs. "Don't egg him on like that!" she hissed, "It's probably hard enough for him already!"

"It's okay," Ace assured them, "I just can't believe this all happened in one day. Anyway, Kiera and my brother came to visit. Jayme told me he'd gotten a message saying I had to leave the Resistance and meet some guy in our old house if we wanted to ever know what happened to our parents." Kyli gasped. "When we got there, we found Mylene and Shadow with the same guard that nearly killed me. They took my Bakugan, and then we were taken to their base. Jayme distracted them and told me to grab Kiera and run for it, so I did. And then I ran into you guys at the park." He held his sister closer, and she buried her face in his shirt. Despite the tense atmosphere, she was slowly falling asleep. "Now what I need is a way to contact my team and get help. I just left them with no warning, so they're probably worried right now."

"We can do that," Kyli insisted, "We go outside the city all the time to train. You and Kiera can hide in my car, and we can drive you out. Then we can start looking for your friends."

Brandon nodded. "Yeah, we can do that tomorrow morning. But right now, we should probably get some sleep. You sure look like you can use it, Ace."

Ace wanted to argue, but he hadn't noticed how exhausted he was until Brandon pointed it out. He leaned against the wall, his eyelids drooping. He vaguely heard Kyli and Brandon lying down on either side of him before fatigue overtook him, and he fell asleep.

* * *

_He was floating in a sea of black. The silence pushed down on him as if it was water, and he was at the bottom of the ocean. He started panicking, and realised he couldn't move. He couldn't even shut his eyes as a sudden, blinding light came out of nowhere right in front of him._

_He was standing in his old living room. The light coming in from the windows had an ominous dark red tint to it, making the place seem almost unreal. The sound of laughter could be heard from upstairs._

_A sudden knock at the door, loud and impatient, startled him. He stared at the door, wondering why this moment felt so familiar. The childish laughter grew louder followed by a cry of: "I'll get it!" Ace turned back to the stairs just in time to see a small boy with light green hair running down, taking two steps at a time. It was a miracle his heart kept going as he realised he was looking at the ten-year-old version of himself._

_The younger Ace grasped the doorknob with both hands and pulled the heavy door open, just wide enough so that he could peek through. "Hello?" the kid asked innocently._

_"Your mom and dad home?" A gruff voice replied. Ace instantly recognised the tone. And he remembered this day very clearly now. Doyle pushed his way in, almost knocking over Little Ace._

_"Hey!" the boy protested._

_"Ace, who's at the door?" his mother's voice called from the kitchen._

_"Miranda!" Doyle nearly shouted, "Schuyler! I need to talk to you two!"_

_Ace's mother came from the kitchen, holding little baby Kiera. His dad emerged from his office, and Jayme tentatively came halfway down the stairs. Their parents' faces were very serious. Ace hadn't noticed it when this happened before, but there was also a glint of fear in their eyes. "Jayme," his dad warned, "Take your brother and sister upstairs and don't come down until this man leaves."_

_Jayme nodded and came down the rest of the way. He took Kiera from Mom and started heading back up. "Come on, Ace!" he called._

_"I'm not going because you tell me to!" Little Ace insisted, proving his point by sitting on the floor right where he stood, arms and legs crossed and a stubborn pout on his face._

_"Go!" Ace begged his younger self, even though the kid probably couldn't hear him, "You don't want to see any of this!"_

_"I don't care if your brats are here or not," Doyle continued, "You two are going to do what you've been told, and I'll use the kids to make you if I have to!" He grabbed Mom by the arm and twisted it behind her back._

_Jayme grabbed Little Ace by the arm and started dragging the boy up the stairs. The kid started running up on his own, horrified at what he'd just seen._

* * *

Kyli bit her lip as she watched her old friend tossing and turning in his sleep. She and the others had already woken up, and Brandon had just come back with some food he'd bought for breakfast. They'd finished about ten minutes ago, leaving a portion of it for Ace when he finally woke up. He muttered something, his expression clearly stressed.

She could only imagine what he was really going through. When her parents died, she and Brandon had been positive that they were worst off compared to every other kid on Vestal. Then the Grit kids had joined them at the foster home. With their mom and dad having mysteriously vanished, whispers went around that the kids would be targeted, too. While possible parents had felt sorry for them, they hadn’t wanted to have that sort of danger placed upon themselves. One time, Brandon had found Ace curled up in a corner, sobbing that he and his siblings weren't wanted. The Jarvis kids had cheered him up, and the three of them became best friends.

When the strange cards fell from the sky, Kyli, Brandon, and Ace became obsessed with Bakugan. They would spend all day coming up with strategies and battling each other and sometimes the other kids. Then, after Beta City was moved to New Vestroia, the very origin of the Bakugan, strange things began happening. Kyli noticed that Ace was growing more and more distant from them, not wanting to play Bakugan at all, until finally he just ran off with no goodbye. Then his brother, who turned eighteen only a week later, moved out and took custody of Kiera, and no one had heard from any of them since.

A wrangled scream brought Kyli out of her musing. She saw Ace, eyes now wide open in terror, sit up abruptly. For a second, she thought he was hyperventilating or something. After a couple seconds, he drew his legs to his chest and awkwardly wrapped both arms around them, his panicked breathing eventually slowing down. He seemed to have forgotten they were there as he buried his face into his knees. It took Kyli and Brandon a while to notice he was sobbing.

Tentatively, Brandon reached out a lightly placed a hand on Ace's shoulder. Ace slowly looked up, tears streaming down his face. Kiera wriggled free from Kyli and held her arms out to her brother. Ace pulled her in and held her close, still shaking.

The room was filled with awkward silence for the following few minutes, until Ace finally calmed down. When he looked up again, his face was set in grim determination.

"We should get going, now," he stated dully, standing up, "There's not much time."

Kyli had been hoping they could talk, but then again, Ace was never one for talking about his problems. She and her brother got to their feet as well, leading Ace and Kiera out the door.

Whatever they were getting themselves into, Kyli had no idea. Just yesterday all she worried about was the upcoming tournament, and now she was caught up in some twisting, turning conspiracy against an innocent family. But then again, what had caused the Vexos to hold such hatred against Mr. and Mrs. Grit? What had they done? These thoughts swirled around in her brain as she unlocked the car and got into the driver's seat while Brandon helped Ace and Kiera hide in the back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, now things are getting a little interesting, huh? Trust me, things aren't over yet. We still have a couple rescue missions to go.


	4. Chapter 3: Broken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I live, in case you were wondering. I've finally gotten this chapter finished after pretty much an entire month of only being home for a fraction of the weekend. That, and I have recently gotten interested in X-Men Evolution, and since it's still new to me, it's been on my mind more than Bakugan.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bakugan, or any of its characters. But I do own Jayme (pronounced: Jamie), Kiera, Doyle, Miranda, Schuyler, Brandon, and Kyli. Pretty much all of Ace's family, old friends, and some of the people he loathes and despises.

It was easy to tell when they'd left the city. The paved streets within the dome made for a rather comfortable journey, if he ignored the fact that he and Kiera were lying on the floor of the car, hidden from view by several blankets and camping gear. Apparently Kyli and Brandon had been planning to go on a little expedition that day, anyway. Outside the city, however, there was no discernable road, only barren, rocky wasteland with the occasional patch of forest in random areas. The car jolted violently every five seconds or so, and Ace soon felt more bruises forming all over. And just when the old ones were almost healed, too. Despite that, he kept Kiera's body shielded with his own. She was all he had now, in terms of family.

About ten or twenty minutes after leaving the city, Kyli pulled to a stop. The heavy gear was moved out of the way so that Ace and Kiera could climb out. Looking around, Ace realised why they'd stopped at that particular spot.

A few feet away from them were huge, fresh tire tracks in the dust. He could only think of one vehicle that size: the Resistance transport. They'd probably only just missed it. "They can't be that far," he stated out loud, somewhat surprised at how hollow his voice sounded, "We just have to follow the tread marks."

He turned to get back into the car, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Ace, wait," Brandon's voice came from behind him.

"What?" If they didn't get going, they might not be able to catch up with the others.

"Dude, you're one of our best friends. We know you have some problems going on, but we can't help you if you don't talk to us!"

Ace turned back to face him and frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Your dream. You know, the one that had you waking up screaming at the top of your lungs?"

"It's nothing you two should be concerned about."

Kyli groaned, clearly exasperated. "Well, we're not going anywhere until you say _something_. Do you have any idea how tough it is for us when you keep everything to yourself? We're trying to help you through all this craziness, but I guess you don't trust us enough to tell us when something's bugging you!"

She just _had_ to play the trust card. Ace felt his resistance come tumbling down in an instant. Those two knew him way too well. He leaned against the car, holding Kiera tightly. His sister still hadn't said a word since they were at the house. He sighed. "The day before my parents disappeared, a guard working for King Zenoheld came to our house. He was threatening them to do something, but I never found out what. I remember he grabbed my mom by the arm and twisted it behind her back. Then my brother took me upstairs and all I could hear was a lot of shouting. Last night, I saw it all happening again, and I couldn't do anything to change it." He slid to the ground, too drained to stay standing. "It was the same guard that almost killed me last week. He has some sort of personal grudge against my family, and he took it all out on me that day. I just wish I knew why he hated us in the first place."

* * *

Mira poked at her food in front of her, but she wasn't hungry. She'd been up all night, mostly worrying about Ace.

He'd just left without any warning at all. He couldn't tell them why. They still had two Dimension Controllers to destroy, and he wasn't there with them.

He wasn't there with her.

Mira knew she was being a total worrywart, but she couldn't help herself. Ace was still injured, and not knowing how he was holding up was so nerve-wracking. She wished he hadn't left. She wished she'd been more careful in the first place, infiltrating the Vexos' lab. Then maybe he wouldn't have gotten hurt. Would she have been as worried if he was in better condition? He was with his family, she knew that, but the animosity between him and his brother only made her even more nervous.

Thinking of Jayme reminded Mira of the stunning revelation of Ace's past. Family had always been a touchy subject when Ace was around. He never spoke of his parents or siblings. Heck, they hadn’t even _known_ he had a brother or sister until Jayme and Kiera showed up the day before! And the mysterious fate of his parents (which she honestly didn’t know much about since Jayme had only given small bits of information) worried Mira even more. Ace had kept it a secret for the many months she'd known him; who knew what other problems he kept bottled up inside? And to have all that pain brought back up while he was still recovering from almost dying at the hands of the enemy was just cruel fate.

This brought her thoughts to another subject. This was the first time one of their own had nearly lost their life in the battle for the freedom of the Bakugan. When she'd started the Bakugan Brawlers' Resistance, Mira had had no idea that it would be so dangerous. Now, as she looked through every battle she'd been through, she took more notice at the peril her friends had put themselves in. Marucho had nearly drowned when Mylene's attack had hit him accidentally. Dan had once been a few feet away from being crushed by falling boulders, and that would have been his fate if it weren't for Drago. And Shun had risked his neck every day, before he joined the Resistance, sneaking in and out of the Vexos facilities and grabbing every preciously guarded Bakugan he could get his hands on. What if something had happened to him? What if he'd gotten caught during his many crusades? This mission was looking a lot more dangerous the more she thought it through. They'd been lucky so far that no one had died yet.

The humming of a motor suddenly interrupted her thoughts. Mira looked up and saw that Dan, Baron, Shun, and Marucho were all staring in the same direction, confusion evident on their faces. Well, except for Shun, who of course was suspicious. Mira glanced over to see what they were looking at.

A small car was heading their way at a high speed, kicking up a huge dust cloud in its wake. Within less than a minute, it skidded to a halt a few yards away from where they sat outside eating breakfast. Shun stood up and walked a couple steps closer, glaring at the unknown vehicle all the while. Mira didn’t blame him; the last car that’d driven up had taken one of their own when it left. The doors in the front and one in the back opened up, and three people stepped out. The two from the driver's and passenger's seats were unfamiliar to Mira. A girl and boy about her age with dark blue hair and black eyes. The guy dressed in pale yellow while the girl wore green.

But then she recognised the person getting out of the back. It was Ace. He held Kiera tightly in his arms, staring at Mira and the others.

Mira was the first to reach him. She got up and ran right over, hugging him tightly, like she never wanted to let go. Well, that part was definitely true; she didn't want to ever leave his side. Eventually, the others joined as well.

"You're back!" Marucho cried.

"Man, why'd you run off like that?" Dan nearly shouted, "Seriously, what the heck's been going on?"

Mira slowly backed away from Ace, but only by half a step, keeping hold of his arm. She looked his depressed face over, and realised with a start that there must be trouble. "Is everything okay?" she whispered.

Ace shook his head slightly, not saying a word.

"Maybe we should talk about it inside," the girl suggested, "It's a bit hard to explain. But my brother and I know most of it, so we can fill you guys in." That last statement seemed directed more at Ace than at the rest of the Resistance. Ace glanced back at her and nodded a little, as if giving her the okay.

Mira placed her hand on Ace's back as she began leading him into the base. Shun stuck out his arm to stop them all. "Can we at least know your names?" he asked Ace's friends, his tone slightly suspicious.

"I'm Kyli Jarvis, and this is my brother Brandon. We've known Ace since we were kids."

Her brother, Brandon, nodded. "How much do you guys know about his family?" he asked.

"His brother told us about their parents just yesterday," Baron replied, "But Ace never really liked talking about it."

"If you ask me, he kinda reminds me of Shun in that department." The scratchy voice seemed to come out of nowhere. Kyli dug into her pocket and pulled out a Ventus Bakugan. Dan, Marucho, and Shun all gasped as it popped open.

"Harpus?" Dan cried, his jaw dropping. Marucho abruptly took his glasses off and rubbed them on his shirt before putting them back on. Shun reached over and snatched the Bakugan right out of Kyli's hands.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in astonishment.

"Well, this _is_ my homeworld. Why else do you think I'm here?" Harpus retorted, her tone full over attitude.

"You know what I mean. I thought most of the Bakugan were captured."

"Yeah, but then they started handing us off to random players, and I wound up with Kyli here. Not as much fun as Komba, but I could be stuck with worse."

"So she wasn't kidding when she said she knew you guys," Ace commented. Mira glanced back at him, startled by the sudden break in his silence.

"Why would I be kidding? I couldn't believe it when I heard you mention their names. I thought I'd never see any of my human friends again!"

"We can talk about this later, guys," Mira reminded everyone. As glad as she was that Dan, Marucho, and Shun had been reunited with an old friend, she had a dark feeling there were far more pressing matters at hand. Kyli grabbed Harpus from Shun before following Mira and the others.

Once they were inside, Mira immediately made Ace sit down. Kiera was shifted so that she was sitting on her brother's lap. Kyli had offered to take her, but Ace had refused to let go of her. He clung to his sister as if she might vanish if he loosened his grip.

"So... what happened?" Dan was the first to break the uncomfortable silence. "I mean, why'd you have to leave in the first place?"

Ace continued staring at the floor, as if he wasn't even listening.

Kyli answered instead. "Jayme got some e-mail a couple days ago. Whoever sent it said that they knew where their parents were, and that Ace had to leave the Resistance and come meet the guy if they ever wanted to see them again. But when they got to their old house, they found Mylene Pharaoh, Shadow Prov, and that guard that hurt him last week instead. They all went to the Vexos base, and Jayme told Ace to grab Kiera and run for it."

"We bumped into the two of them at the park," Brandon continued, "and when Ace explained everything to us, we agreed to help. Then this morning-"

"Not important," Ace grunted suddenly. He still hadn't looked up from the floor, but now his glare was more intense. "The only thing you left out is that I figured out who that guy was. His name's Doyle. He knew my Mom and Dad. Knew them and hated them. That was why he tried to kill me."

Mira gasped and put her arm around him, giving him a tight hug. Ace leaned into her and rested his head on her shoulder, never lifting his eyes. "Ace…" She gently turned his face to hers, trying to meet his gaze, but to no avail. He simply ducked away, but not before she got a good glimpse at the dark bags under his eyes. "Ace, how much sleep have you gotten since you left?"

"Enough."

"But you look exhausted."

"I'm fine," he protested. He tried to push off her using his injured arm, but grimaced in pain.

"You sure about that?" Baron inquired, "When was the last time you took your meds?"

"Yesterday… afternoon," Ace growled through gritted teeth, "They're all in Jayme's car back in the city, in front of our house."

Mira stood up. "I think we have some in the bathroom. I'll go get them."

Ace shook his head. "No. No, I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You need rest more than anything right now. Dan, Shun, help him get to his room." She hurried off towards the bathroom as Dan and Shun tried to get their friend to stand up. Mira found the small white bottle stuffed in a corner of the medicine cabinet. It wasn't the medication the doctors had prescribed for Ace, but it was better than nothing. She almost bumped into Dan when she left the room. Ace, Dan, and Shun were just passing the door. Kyli trailed behind them with Kiera in her arms. Mira could hear Marucho starting to give Brandon the tour, with Elfin often interrupting.

Slowly, all six of them made it to Ace's room, which was only one door down on the other side of the hall, between Shun and Mira's. Ace was practically forced onto his bed, muttering all the while that he was fine and didn't need anything. Kiera was quickly returned to her brother, not saying anything. In fact, she hadn't said a word at all since their arrival. The little girl just curled up next to her brother and looked around with frightened eyes.

Mira opened the bottle of painkillers and put two in Ace's hand. He refused to do anything with them.

"Dude, just take them, already," Dan told him, "We can figure things out after you get some shut-eye, alright?" Ace glared at him before reluctantly swallowing the pills and lying down. It would take a while for them to kick in, so everyone but Mira stood up and left quietly. No one could think of anything to say.

Mira, Ace, Kiera just sat in awkward silence for a while. All that could be heard was Ace's raspy breathing. This had Mira worried. His health certainly hadn't improved at all. She felt his forehead, and was shocked at how much heat was radiating from it. "Whoa," was all she could say, "You're burning up!" It had to have been all the stress he'd gone through in the past week. First he’d been nearly beaten to death, then the horrible memories of his parents' disappearance had come back to haunt him while he was still recovering. And now, to top it all off, he'd gotten sick. "No _wonder_ you're so drained."

Now Ace started coughing. "I told you guys already, I'm fine."

"Stop saying that! Why can't you just admit you can't solve all these problems by yourself? You're tired, you're sick, you can barely stand upright, so don't try and tell me you're fine! Just relax and let us handle things for a while! If you keep up with all this trying to do everything on your own, you could get hurt even more, and I just can't lose you!" Ace just stared at her in surprise. Mira herself was a little startled by her own outburst. She pulled up Ace's desk chair and sank into it. "Sorry," she murmured, "I don't usually blow up like that. Of course, you already know that."

"Yeah." It was all that was said until Kiera finally fell asleep. As usual, Ace was being stubborn and insisted on staying awake for as long as possible. Then he spoke. "I should've recognised him," he stated dully.

"Huh?"

"I saw him, Doyle, the day my parents vanished. He came to our house, wanted something from them. Dad told Jayme to get us upstairs, out of harm's way if things got violent. He was wearing his visor when he attacked me last week, but should've realised it was the same guy, especially when he got my arm. He did the exact same thing to my mom that day. I saw him grab her, then my brother pulled me upstairs, and then I heard her screaming. After it was all over, I never saw her again. Dad had to drive her to the hospital, and Jayme was left in charge. We never heard from either of them again." He leaned back into his pillow as a few tears leaked out. It wasn't long before he started trembling with sobs, and he rolled over so that his back was to her, as if he didn't want her to see him crying.

Mira's throat went dry. All his walls were crashing down, now. Never in her life had she imagined that Ace had a breaking point, but there he was, right in front of her, far past it. Being careful not to disturb Kiera, she pulled him towards her and helped him sit up. Apparently, he'd given up at that point on trying to convince her he was okay, and put his head on her left shoulder. As they sat there, Mira did her best to examine his face more thoroughly, despite the lack of light from the covered window. The first thing to draw her attention was the scarring. A long gash still ran down his left cheek and across his forehead. Those marks would probably remain there forever. Then she saw how pale he was, but still flushed from the fever.

But the worst was the tortured emotion. His eyes were screwed shut in pain, with tears flowing from them nonstop. She'd never seen him cry, until now. No one did. Not even when they'd found him lying half-dead on the floor, he hadn't cried. And now he was pushed to the point where he wouldn't _stop_ crying there in her arms.

"I saw it again," he murmured suddenly.

"What?"

"That day, when he… came to our house. In a nightmare, just last night. I… I had to watch… everything all over again. Just like all the other ones."

Mira understood that he was talking about the nightmares. Her room was right next to his, so of course she heard him waking up, screaming once or twice every night. She would always get up and run in, where he'd be sitting up in bed, panicked. It was even worse with the issue of glass.

Ever since Dan had joined the Resistance, glass shattering during mealtimes had become a pretty common sound to hear. It slowed down when Shun joined, as he was quick enough to catch them half the time, but it was still pretty annoying.

The first time it'd happened was the night after Ace was released from the hospital. The noise had woken her up, and she'd followed it to the kitchen. There, Mira had found Ace, his face drained of what little colour had remained after his ordeal. He'd started falling, and she'd reacted right away and caught him. Then he'd started hyperventilating, and she'd had to calm him down by holding him tighter while she walked him, or rather, carried him, to the closest chair. At that point, she hadn't figured out the significance of the glass, until he'd started panicking again when she'd tried to clean it up. Then, two days later, at lunch, Dan had somehow managed to destroy _six_ of them in one go, and the next thing they knew, Ace had slumped to the floor and started hyperventilating again. The other guys had been at a loss to explain what'd happened until Mira had clued them in. After that, they were all extra careful, but still a few accidents had happened. The worst one was when Mira had happened to be out of the room. Ace had been in panic mode for a full five minutes when she'd come in. It'd taken much longer to calm him down then.

Mira had been so preoccupied with her thoughts that she hadn't realised for a while that Ace had finally fallen asleep. He slumped against her, his tear-streaked face still wet against her shoulder. Carefully, she set him back down and pulled the covers over him and Kiera. Brother and sister were completely out, and both of them seemed to have suffered in their own way.

Kiera hadn't seen the horrors that Ace had. She hadn't watched a demon man come into their home and threaten their family. She hadn't been locked in a room with and tortured by said demon. She didn't have to suffer all her worst memories over and over when she slept at night. But she'd been moved around from place to place in one day, and seen a lot of hatred around her. And now she was all alone with no one but her brother to protect her. No, she hadn't gone through much, but she'd still suffered enough for a six-year-old child, and for that, Mira worried about her, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it for now. Sorry it took so long, I've had a lot going on this summer.


	5. Chapter 4: In the Base

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here's a new chapter! It's a little shorter than the others, but I haven't had a lot of time to update. Then I got a review from iloveurstory BEGGING me to update, so here it is!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bakugan or any of its characters. See chapter two or three for the list of characters I DO own.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Dan asked, "Charging right into a Vexos base when we have no idea if your family's even there?"

Ace growled in frustration. "It's the _only_ way. Don't you get it? That might be the only way I can find the answers I'm looking for! It was the last place I saw Jayme, and if we want to know anything, we have to follow wherever they took him!"

Mira squeezed his shoulder. "We understand, Ace," she insisted, "We just want to make sure we don't mess this up. If we do, we might never find out what happened to your parents."

"You think I haven't considered that?!" Ace tried to stand up, but did so too fast. The look of anger on his face vanished for a moment as he collapsed back into his chair, but it quickly reappeared. "But it's not like we have any other choice!" His expression softened as he calmed down a little. "I've lost them once already. If I just do nothing again, I could lose them forever."

There was silence for a long time. Mira took a deep breath, and then made her decision. "Okay," she declared, "We do it. It's not like we have any other plan. But we'll have to use as much stealth as possible. We do _not_ want a repeat of what happened last time." She glanced pointedly at Ace, reminding them all of what was at risk. The Darkus brawler in question tensed up as he remembered it. "Ace, I want you to stick with Shun. He's our best fighter, and you're still injured. Shun, don't let _anything_ happen to him, got it?" Shun nodded seriously. Mira recognised the dark look in his eyes and remembered that he still blamed himself for Ace being left behind. "Alright, Baron. Set a course for Beta City."

She looked over at Ace one more time. He had that hard, determined look in his eyes that she'd seen countless times before, but it was never this intense. She would stay close to him during the mission as well. There was no way Mira was going to lose him again.

* * *

Once again, they found themselves sneaking through the halls in the Beta City Vexos base. Shun led the way, directly followed by Ace and Mira, with Dan, Marucho, Baron, and Brandon, behind them. Kyli had agreed to stay behind on the transport and look after Kiera. Ace felt his breath catch in his throat as they passed a particular window. It was the same one he'd been shoved through a week ago. He shuddered, and Mira took his hand and squeezed it lightly. He glanced over at her, seeing the sympathetic expression on her face. "I'm okay," he whispered to her.

In truth, he wasn't all that okay. But he wouldn't admit that with the others possibly hearing it. Mira was the only one he could fully trust with his fears. Last night had been proof of that.

"Someone's coming," Shun hissed, pressing himself flat against the wall. Ace and the others followed suit, not daring to breathe as a pair of guards walked down an intersecting hallway, just chatting casually. Ace waited until they were long gone before he let out the breath he'd been holding. He did _not_ want to end up captured again.

"That was close," Dan murmured, "Ah-choo!" He sneezed softly, undoubtedly having held it in for a while. The group tensed, but there was no sign that he'd been heard.

"Okay, let's go," Shun insisted. Ace noted that the ninja was almost just as tense as he was. Then again, Shun was always like that on a mission.

They made their way around a few more corners, Baron continually checking his map. "Okay," he thought out loud, "If I was going to hold prisoners for a very long time, it would be a room that's out of the way of everything else, probably in an area where it's easy to get lost, just in case they try to escape."

"It wouldn't be too small," Brandon added, "Since they'll need room to actually live in."

"Right." After a few scans of the map, he gasped. "I think I've found it! There's a large, circular room on the basement level, but it's cut off from everything else. The only way in is an elevator on the ground floor that doesn't go anywhere else besides those two floors. Then there's a small area between the big room and the elevator doors, probably for security." He pulled up the main directory map for a second. "And it's not on the regular map, just the building plans. The elevator's behind what looks like a storage closet, or something."

"Which direction?" Ace asked, trying not to sound too impatient.

Baron pointed at the next left turn. "That way."

They'd almost made it there when they ran into trouble. There were several guards waiting by the closet, almost as if they were expecting the Resistance.

"Ace, come on!" Mira tried to pull him back as they retreating, but Ace somehow managed to escape her grip. His family could be beyond there. _'Mom... Dad... and Jayme too, I suppose.'_

He made a dash for the door, miraculously dodging the guards that tried to stop him. He wrenched it open and was about to slam it shut as he went in, but somebody got in right after him. He took a split second to realise it was Mira, then he closed and locked the door. Several _thud_ s could be heard as other people tried getting in.

"What were you thinking?" Mira cried, "You could've gotten captured again!" There were tears in her eyes. Ace _hated_ seeing her cry.

"Mira..." he whispered, "I'm sorry, but this could be my only chance. I couldn't pass it up."

She sighed. "All right. But no more doing it on your own, got it? I'm here for you." She took his hand again. Ace could swear he felt sparks when the two of them made contact. Then he remembered they were on a mission.

"Come on. It should be through here somewhere." His eyes were now adjusting to the lack of light within the cramped space, and he could make out a door in the opposite wall. Ace felt around the sides of it, found a button, and pushed it. Unfortunately, with only one arm available, that meant letting go of Mira's hand.

The elevator doors slid open almost silently, and the pair wasted no time getting in. Ace was tingling all over as they descended downwards. This was it. He would finally see his mom and dad again. Kiera would meet her parents, and they could be a family again.

The doors opened again, and Ace and Mira found themselves in a bare, cement room with another door in the opposite wall. He approached it and stood in front of it, but didn't go in yet.

"You ready?" Mira asked him.

Ace took a deep breath. "Yeah. Oh, and... thanks. For being there for me."

She smiled and blushed.

Ace took another breath and grabbed the door handle, then pulled it open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... cliffhanger!
> 
> I'm sorry, but I'm actually typing this while my fave show is recording, so I wanna hurry and finish this up. Don't worry, I promise an update soon.
> 
> R&R!


	6. Chapter 5: Reunited and Divided

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! A new chapter! Things are getting pretty crazy in my life, what with end-of-year projects being due and exams coming up. Otherwise, I would've got this up last Saturday, but I promise I WILL get the next chapter up on time.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bakugan or any of its characters... wow, déja vu. I do own Jayme, Schuyler, Miranda, Doyle, Kiera, Kyli, and Brandon.

Ace and Mira gasped as they looked around the round, white room. On one end, a glass wall separated a small laboratory from the rest of the chamber, which contained three cots, a kitchenette, and a small walled-off section that appeared to be a bathroom. A man and woman looked up from their work in the lab, while a younger man shot up from his bed.

Mom, Dad, and Jayme.

"Squirt!" Jayme cried, "What the hell are you doing here? I told you to make a run for it!"

"Ace?" Mom nearly dropped the smoking test tube she was holding. "Honey, is that you?"

"Mom…" Ace had to stare for a few seconds to be a hundred percent sure she was there, that this wasn't a dream. He took a few steps forward, and then she and Dad abandoned their work and ran up to him. Mom reached him first, wrapping her arms around him in a desperately tight hug.

"Oh my God, I missed you so much," she choked, her tears starting to get Ace's shirt wet, "I'm so glad you're okay, baby. I was so worried about you. You have no idea..." Her sobbing got to the point where she couldn't talk anymore.

By then, Ace's father had joined them in the hug, also fiercely embracing his son. "I can't believe it," he whispered hoarsely, "It's been so long, I was so afraid I wouldn't see you again.”

Ace felt tears of his own spilling out as he found himself of the arms of the people he never thought he'd be with again. But they were here with him now. When he was younger, he remembered having dreams of them, waking up just when he was about to touch them. A part of him was terrified that it would happen again, that he would suddenly find himself back in bed. But that didn't happen, and he silently thanked whatever deity resided above. He remembered Mira was still there, but then again, he'd cried in front of her the night before. She was someone he could trust to see his true emotions.

"I told you not to come back!" Jayme snapped, "What the hell, Squirt?! What about Kiera? Where is she?"

"She's fine," Ace told him, more than a little upset at his brother for spoiling the moment, "Kyli's with her at the Resistance Base." Ace was a little confused at the expression on Jayme's face. It looked like concern. He'd been worried about him? Nah, he was probably just worried about Kiera.

"Kyli? Kyli Jarvis? She's part of the Resistance, too?"

"No, but she's helping us out. If it weren't for her and Brandon, I never would've gotten myself or Kiera back to the team."

Mom pulled away slightly to look at Ace. "Jayme told us what you've been doing," she said, "Honey, are you sure it's such a good idea? Your father and I personally know what the Vexos do to people who fight against them."

"It's worth it," Ace responded, "Bakugan are living beings, and I won't stand to see them enslaved the way they are. That's what the Resistance is all about, fighting to give the Bakugan the freedom they deserve."

"He's right," Mira added, "I started the Bakugan Brawlers Resistance to spread the truth to everyone, and right the wrongs being done. We all know the consequences, but that doesn't stop us from doing what we must."

"And who are you?"

"My name's Mira Fermin, leader of the Resistance. We came here to get you guys out of here."

"Good luck with that," Jayme retorted, flopping back onto his cot, "That door you came through only opens from the outside, so now you're stuck here with us, too. Smooth move."

"You know, you _could_ at least be a little more grateful, considering we risked our butts just to get here to get you all out." Mira had her arms crossed and that expression on her face that showed she meant business, and arguing with her was probably the stupidest thing you could do.

Jayme, however, ignored it. "Oh, my mistake," he 'apologised', rolling his eyes, "I'm sorry. We should be grateful that you came all this way just to leave Kiera all alone. Honestly, Squirt, did you ever think for a second about what could happen to her if you didn't come back?"

Ace gritted his teeth. "She's in good hands. I wouldn't have left her if I felt she wouldn't be safe!"

Jayme's response was cut off by the sound of the door opening. The entire group spun around to see Doyle walking in with half a dozen other guards. "Well, well, well, look who's come to visit. I should've known you'd try to rescue your family. Aren't you the little hero?" His evil gaze flickered over to Mira. "And I don't believe we've met, missy. What's a beauty like you doing with a bunch of lowlifes like this?"

"Shut up," Ace growled, "What do you want?"

"I just heard a few pests had broken in, and I was curious to see who would risk their freedom to see a couple insignificant scientists. I really should've guessed it was you, Ace. Oh, and if you're wondering what happened to your teammates, don't expect to be saved anytime soon. They all retreated and left you behind. Such a great bunch of friends, aren't they?"

"You're lying!"

"You don't know anything about them!" Mira declared angrily, "Even if what you say is true, and they did retreat, they would never abandon us! We're not a bunch of sneaky, selfish Vexos thugs like you!"

Doyle just smirked, and Ace did _not_ like the look in his eyes. "Ooh, aren't you a fiery one? Take her." He snapped his fingers, and the two other guards accompanying him darted forward with amazing speed for their size and grabbed Mira from either side.

"Hey!" she cried, "Let me go!"

"Mira!" Ace shouted, running forward. He tried to land a punch on one of the guards, but the man turned and lifted his knee into his gut. Ace fell to the floor, gasping and watching them drag his leader and the most important person in his life away. He tried to get up, but then Doyle pulled a gun out of his pocket and pointed it in his direction. Ace was vaguely aware of Mom screaming.

"No more trouble out of you," Doyle sneered, moving the weapon to aim at Mira, "Or your girlfriend gets it, got it?"

Ace didn't move, only able to stare in shock as Mira was dragged through the door and out of sight.

"MIRAAAA!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!


	7. Chapter 6: Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I've finally decided how long this story will be: 10 chapters. So, not including this one, there are three chapters left, and now I also have it all planned out, and I'm not making stuff up as I go along. I expect this to be finished on the week of July 3rd, although I might be busy, considering I might have a job (I waited too long to start looking for a summer job, so now I'm running outta options) and the Avatar The Last Airbender movie is coming out on the 2nd, and you can bet your life I'm going to see it! Not on opening night, though. Opening night crowds irritate me to hell, and then I can't enjoy the movie as much.
> 
> Anyway, on with Scars!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bakugan or its characters.

Miranda Grit held her youngest son tightly as he sat in shock on the edge of the cot. He'd been like that for the last hour, since his friend Mira had been dragged away. Occasionally, he'd whisper her name, but otherwise was silent and seemingly unaware of his surroundings. Miranda kept switching her worried attention between him and Schuyler and Jayme. Her husband was on Ace's other side, one hand on his shoulder. Jayme sat across from his little brother, staring with an expression Miranda could not name.

She knew she and Schuyler should be getting back to work, otherwise they wouldn't get lunch that day, but she couldn't bring herself to move an inch from her son. It shocked her how much he'd changed. When she'd last seen him, he'd been a happy, if stubborn, ten year old boy. Now his once youthful grey eyes were dark and steely with a sort of wisdom and determination one usually didn't see in a fifteen-year-old, and of course there were the obvious physical changes that'd come with aging five years. His brother had told them about how Ace had recently been captured and tortured by Doyle, but Miranda hadn't been prepared to see him with his arm still in a sling and two long scars on his face. The biggest change was his outlook on life. She'd only spent an hour with him, most of it while he was in a sort of catatonic state, but she had an instinctive feel for things like that. He was much less optimistic than when he was a child, and Miranda felt she only had herself to blame. She was the one who had started this whole mess in the first place five years ago. If she hadn't, he wouldn't have spent the past half-decade without any parents or home.

* * *

" _Miranda Grit?" The woman paused in her work to look up at the guard standing in the doorway of her private laboratory._

" _Yes, how can I help you?"_

" _The Vexos organisation has heard of your work in DNA manipulation. We'd like to offer you a place on our research team, along with your husband."_

_Miranda set her experiment aside and pulled her protective goggles off. "Really? Well, that sounds interesting, but Schuyler and I aren't all that interested in any employment change right now. We're still trying to adjust to having a third child. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we'll have to turn down your offer, at least until our daughter’s a little older."_

_The corners of the guard's mouth turned down slightly. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but perhaps I should rephrase that. You don't have much of a choice in this. The Vexos need your expertise in our labs, and we will do what we must to get you to accept peacefully. If not, life may get... difficult for you."_

_Miranda's eyes narrowed. "Is that a threat?" She moved one hand close to the little red button on the underside of her desk, ready to alert security if this man became violent._

" _Just a warning. We'll give you a few days to reconsider." And with that, he was gone._

* * *

Schuyler, of course, had agreed with her that accepting the position was not the best idea. They didn't trust the Vexos government at all; there was something suspicious about King Zenoheld that they didn't like. But representatives kept approaching them, getting more and more threatening every time. They tried to keep their worry from the boys, although Miranda was afraid Jayme was starting to notice. Her worst fear was that the Vexos would go after her children, especially her new daughter, Kiera. Her baby was only a year old, and she couldn't bear the thought of losing her, or Ace and Jayme.

The Grits had secretly discussed going on the run, bringing the kids with them. But before they could come up with the finer details, the original guard that'd come to Miranda in her laboratory, Doyle, had shown up at their house. Schuyler had immediately sent Jayme upstairs with his younger siblings, and the two of them had again insisted that Doyle should leave, that they were not going to work for the Vexos. During that heated conversation, Doyle had grabbed Miranda and snapped her arm before leaving. Schuyler had quickly put Jayme in charge without letting the kids see her pitiful state, then put Miranda in the car and started driving her to the hospital.

It was then that a Vexos barricade had stopped them once they got only a block away from the house. They'd been pulled out of their car and taken to their current living quarters, which they hadn't left since that day.

Now, after her two sons had returned to her, Miranda did feel a new sense of hope, but there was also an added amount of sorrow. Ace was in some sort of state of catatonia over the loss of his friend, and now all four of them were trapped. Miranda wanted to comfort him, to make things better somehow, but she was at a complete loss. He'd changed so much in the past five years, she barely even felt like she knew him anymore. She'd tried a few tricks that would cheer him up when he was a child, but he did not even respond. She simply couldn't reach him.

The four of them sat there in silence for a long time, until the elevator could be heard arriving again outside their door. Miranda tightened her arm around Ace, and Schuyler and Jayme shifted their weight so that they could stand at a moment's notice.

The door opened for the second time in an hour, and instead of a guard, as expected, two boys around Ace's age, one with black hair and a green coat over black clothing, and one with black eyes, dark blue hair, and pale yellow clothes. "Who are you?" Schuyler demanded.

"Dad, it's fine," Jayme told him, "They're some of Ace's friends, Shun and Brandon." To the boys, he added: "Don't let that door shut behind you! You'll get locked in!" He grabbed a fork from the kitchenette and wedged it in the door so that it wouldn't close all the way.

"Ace!" Brandon hurried over to the rest of them, kneeling in front of Ace while Shun stood guard by the door. "Ace, what happened?"

For once, Ace responded, but not by much. His eyes moved from the floor, where they'd been fixated for an hour, to meet his friend's. "Mira..." he whispered.

"Mira? Where is she?"

"They took her. I... I don't know where she is... or... what they could be doing to her."

Brandon turned to Jayme when it became clear he wouldn't be getting any more from Ace. "Jayme, what's been going on?"

Jayme sat back down, rubbing the side of his head. "Ace and the girl came in here about half an hour ago, and Doyle wasn’t too far behind them. He took Mira out with him at gunpoint, and Ace hasn't said much until you showed up just now. Don't ask me to explain why."

"Guys, let's wrap this up," Shun insisted, "It won't take those guys long to bust out of that other broom closet. They'll send someone down to see if we're here."

Brandon nodded. "You're right. We should get you guys out of here as soon as possible."

From above, a muffled _boom_ interrupted their conversation. "What was that?" Miranda gasped.

"Sounds like a Bakugan battle," Shun stated seriously, "Dan and the others must've found someone to take on."

"Remind me why they have to do that again?" Brandon asked.

"The Dimension Controllers are powered by Bakugan battles. If we can overload them, all the Bakugan in this sector of New Vestroia will be able to revert back to their original forms. This part of the mission – the rescue part – doesn't really need the entire team, so everyone else is taking care of our original mission: smashing the Dimension Controllers and freeing the Bakugan."

"How do you know that'll work?" Schuyler asked.

"It worked for Ace and me in Alpha City, so it should work here, unless the Vexos actually learned something and upgraded the system. But enough of that, we've got to go now."

Brandon gently helped Ace to his feet and started walking towards the door, Miranda and the rest of her family right behind them.

Ace suddenly stopped short. "Wait," he insisted.

"We've got no time for that, Squirt," Jayme reminded him.

"Mira. I'm not leaving without her, or Percival and Falconfly."

"Again with that? We have more important things to worry about."

"No, he's right," Shun stated, "We're not leaving another teammate behind again. I'll go with Ace to look for Mira; Brandon, you take the others to the base and get back here to help out. Got it?" Brandon nodded. "Okay, let's move."

* * *

Ace looked around as they came out of the hidden elevator. He was half-hoping for Mira to just pop up out of nowhere, safe and unharmed. But he knew that wasn't likely to happen. She'd been left alone with Doyle for roughly half an hour now, and he'd sustained more than half his injuries in that amount of time. Horrible images came unbidden into his mind of what sort of injuries the man could inflict on her, or even worse, he could... No. Ace shook his head to force the unthinkable thought out of his brain.

"Okay, you guys ready?" Shun's voice forced Ace back to the present goings-on. "Just get out as fast as you can without being seen, got it?"

Mom hugged Ace. "Promise me you'll be safe?" she whispered.

Ace didn't know what to say. He'd given up hope of getting out of there unscathed, but he didn't want to worry her. "I promise." Dad joined the hug, and Ace felt his breath catch in his throat. There was always the possibility that he wouldn't see them again; there was so much that could go wrong.

As he and Shun were about to go out the door, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Jayme standing there. "I'm going with you."

"Huh?"

"You heard me, Squirt. You're my little brother, and I'm going to help you out."

Ace narrowed his eyes. "Since when? It's not like you've looked after me before. And besides, I don't need you slowing us down. Shun and I know what we're doing, we'll be just fine without you." Ace was painfully aware that this statement was completely contradicting his belief that there was very little hope, but he _really_ didn't want to deal with Jayme right now.

"Look, it's my fault we even got into this mess. If I'd just ignored that e-mail, we wouldn't be here-"

"And you'd be a heartless idiot for not taking a chance at seeing Mom and Dad. That's not what I'm mad at you for."

"Then what _are_ you mad at me for? Really, what have I done?!"

"I told you when I found out about the Bakugan being living beings, and you just brushed it off without a care. It obviously didn't bother you at all. You just kept on believing the lies the Vexos have been feeding the people."

"Oh, so that's it? Then why don't you hate everyone else for believing them?"

"That's- that's completely different! They haven't had anyone tell them the truth. I told you over and over again, and you wouldn't even think about it!"

"Well, what do you want me say? Sorry? Fine, I'm sorry I didn't listen to you, and I'm sorry I ignored what was going on. Happy now?"

Ace glared and spun around to march away. "Hang on." Shun's voice stopped him. "Maybe we should bring him along."

"What?"

"We could use the advantage in numbers, he could be of some help to us."

"Ugh, fine. Just don't get in the way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for the next chapter sometime next week! And don't forget to Read and Review please!


	8. Chapter 7: BANG!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know this is a week, late, but I'm going to rush Capter Nine, since it was set to be published today, and then next Saturday will be the final chapter! (Sobs) I can't believe this is finally ending!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bakugan. I do own Jayme and Doyle and the rest of Ace and Jayme's family. I also own Kyli and Brandon.

"ABILITY ACTIVATE!" Baron shouted, "PYRA MIGHT, STATE OF ROA!" The glowing yellow pyramidal shield appeared around Nemus and Drago just before Percival's Tri-Gunner hit. "Nice try, Shadow! You might be controlling Percival, but you don't know a thing about what he's capable of!"

"Yeah!" Dan added, "We're gonna make you pay for using him against his will!" He was completely pissed off at what the Vexos had done to Percival and Falconfly. It was just like when Klaus, while working for Masquerade, had taken control of Marucho's partner Preyas. The pain his little friend had gone through was still fresh in Dan's mind. He was just glad Ace wasn't there to witness this. He didn't want to see another friend suffer through that, especially since Ace was suffering enough already.

"Would you two just stop yapping and get back to brawling?" Mylene snapped and threw an Aquos Bakugan. She and Shadow had caught up to the Resistance and challenged them to a brawl. Dan and Baron had immediately accepted, since it was a chance to destroy the Beta City Dimension Controller anyway. Shun and Brandon had gone off to continue the search for Ace and Mira, and then the others had gotten a desperate call from Kyli at the Resistance base; Lync and Volt had attacked, and she was facing them on her own, so Marucho had left to back her up.

Dan gasped as Mylene's Bakugan took form. "AQUOS ELICO, STAND!"

"Whoa!" Baron cried, looking at his gauntlet, "This one's gonna be tough!"

Dan looked down at his own gauntlet and saw that his friend was right. Elico's base power level was 500 Gs! But he wasn't going to let that stop him. "Doesn't matter!" he declared, "No matter what you throw at us, Drago and I aren't gonna back down! Right, partner?"

"Right!" Drago growled in agreement.

"Us too!" Baron and Nemus agreed in unison.

* * *

Ace's breath went in and out of his lungs in short, painful bursts as he sprinted down the hallway, opening and shutting doors at random, looking for wherever they might be keeping Mira. Shun and Jayme were right behind him, taking down any guards he might have alerted, but he paid little attention to them. Mira was his priority ri+-ght now. He didn't even notice that there were guards at all, until one of them tackled him. Ace was only down for a couple seconds before the guy was yanked off him, and the sound of fist meeting face could be heard. He got up and turned to thank Shun, but realised it was in fact Jayme who had saved him. "Thanks," he muttered, before getting to his feet and continuing.

It wasn't long before something made him stop dead in his tracks. Doyle stood in the middle of the hall, nine or ten feet in front of him, his face twisted into a hateful scowl. "You know what?" he growled, "I've just about had enough with you Grit brats. This is going to end here and now."

"Fine by me," Ace spat, "Just as soon as you tell us where Mira is."

"You're not in any position to bargain." Before the man could make another move, however, Shun was beside him, throwing punches so fast that his hands were a blur. Doyle staggered back at first, then suddenly whipped out his stun baton and sent the ninja to the floor with an electric shock.

"Shun!" Ace cried, his hands curling into fists.

Doyle only raised the baton threateningly in the brothers' direction. "This isn't his fight. It's between your family and me."

"You know," Jayme interrupted, "That's something I've wanted to ask you about. I don't get where you even factor into this whole mess. I mean, the way I see it, this matter should be between our family and the crown. You're just the messenger, so why make it so personal? It's not exactly any of your business."

Ace narrowed his eyes. That question had never occurred to him. Why _had_ Doyle become so personally involved in the affair when it really wasn't any of his business?

The man in question growled. " _Anything_ that involves me is my business."

"So that's your answer?!" Ace replied angrily, "You're just nosy?! That's a pretty pathetic excuse."

"Oh, really? Well how about the fact that King Zenoheld never wanted your parents' 'employment' to cause such a fuss, and since I had to make them 'disappear', I lost the big promotion I was in the running for?"

"Hmph. That's still not much of a good reason."

"It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! If your parents hadn't been so hard-headed and had just accepted the offer, I'd be up at the top of the Vexos organisation by now! Because of your family, I lost everything!"

He dropped the stun baton and ran forward in a mad rage, simultaneously tackling Ace to the floor and reaching for his gun. Ace grabbed the wrist of the weapon-wielding hand and fought to keep the barrel pointed away from himself. Doyle's free fist smashed into his face, but Ace ignored it. Sad as it was, after this past week, he was now almost completely accustomed to the pain. He twisted the man's arm, using a technique Shun had taught him and the rest of the Resistance, pushing down on the right muscles and pressure points to send a spasm of pain through the hand, and then threw in his own idea and started shaking it. The shaking motion, combined with the crippling of Doyle's hand, forced the gun to fly out of his fingers and skitter across the floor.

The hand that Doyle had been using to punch Ace now grabbed his throat, meaty fingers squeezing and crushing his windpipe. Ace let go to try and pry the man off, but it was no good. He glared up at Doyle, more than a little pissed off that this man's face would be the last thing he saw. At least last time he was about to die, Mira had been with him. _'I'm sorry, Mira... I tried... I love you.'_

_BANG!_

With that loud crack, Doyle's grip suddenly loosened. Ace saw the man's eyes grow wide and dim as a trickle of blood fell from between his lips. With a heave, Ace shoved Doyle off him and sat up, gasping for air.

"You okay, Squirt?" Ace looked up to see Jayme standing a few feet away, holding Doyle's gun, which was still smoking at the barrel.

"Uh... yeah, I think so." He was still stunned as Jayme helped him to his feet, and the two of them looked over at where Doyle's body lay in a growing puddle of blood with a gaping hole in his chest, right where his cold, shrivelled black heart should be. "You could've just taken out his arm, or something. You didn't have to kill him." Ace knew that his brother was an excellent marksman; while he'd been playing Bakugan, Jayme had been dominating the paintball field. There was no way the shot to the heart was an accident.

"I wasn't going to lose you again. Not to him or to anyone else." Ace gaped at his brother in surprise. "I may not have acted like it, but I was always scared half to death worrying and wondering where you were. You're my little brother, and I'm not going to stop looking after you, even if you hate my guts."

Ace couldn't help but feel his anger against Jayme slipping away. "Oh... seriously?" Oh, yeah, _that_ was a clever thing to say.

Jayme didn't reply, he just lightly punched Ace on the shoulder, the way he used to all the time when they were kids, and went over to help Shun, who had recovered from being zapped and was now dragging himself to his feet.

Ace could only stare at Jayme. Perhaps there was a bit of his old brother still in there, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so that's the explosive end to this chapter! Seriously, read and review, it makes me happy! :)


	9. Chapter 8: Love's Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here's the second-to-last chapter! I can't believe this is ending so soon! *Sobs* On the other hand, Scars is currently my most reviewed story, with 25 review and more to come (hint hint)!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bakugan: New Vestroia or any of its characters. I do own Jayme, Miranda, Schuyler, Kiera, Doyle, Kyli, and Brandon.

"Let me GO!" Mira kicked hard, right between where the soldier's legs met. The man cried out in pain and whimpered as he collapsed to the floor, clutching at where it hurt. She jammed her elbow into the other man's stomach and rammed her heel onto his toe, and then took off as soon as he yelped in pain and let go.

She made it out the door – thankfully, she'd made her move before they'd had a chance to lock it – and raced through the hallway. She ran past several guards who were lying unconscious off to the sides. Someone else had been there, and they'd been busy. Her biggest worry was the gunshot she'd heard just a minute earlier. Was anyone hurt? Who? Was it one of her friends? Could it have been Ace? Mira felt a lump forming in her throat at the thought. She couldn't lose him, she just couldn't.

She rounded a corner and nearly tripped over another guard lying on the floor, but slowed to a stop as she registered the small crimson puddle near him. Mira turned around to see that he had a small hole right over his heart, with blood streaming from it. It was Doyle. So he was the shooting victim. But who had fired the shot? Mira looked around. It had been only a minute or so ago, so the shooter could easily be nearby. She continued on again, this time keeping her footsteps quieter and peeking around corners to check if the coast was clear. She only found more guards, out cold but still alive, as far as she could tell.

Another distant _boom_ could be heard up ahead. It had to be a Bakugan Battle. More than likely, the others were taking on the Vexos right now, and hopefully they'd be able to destroy the Dimension Controller. That was, after all, the Resistance's overall mission.

"I'm telling you, we have to find Dan and Baron after we find Mira!"

The sound of voices just up the hall set Mira on edge. She stopped and peeked around the corner to see who it was.

It was Shun, Jayme, and Ace!

"Guys!" she cried, running out to meet them. To her surprise, Jayme whipped around and pointed a gun in her direction. He looked like he was about to fire when Ace and Shun each grabbed his arms from either side and stopped him.

"Relax, bro, it's Mira!" Ace shouted. Jayme, who'd initially struggled against them, immediately stopped when he looked at her again and recognised her. As soon as it was clear that his brother wasn't going to shoot, Ace let go and raced towards Mira. He slammed into her with a force that almost knocked her down. "Mira! You're okay!" Mira felt him wrap his good arm around her and press his lips against hers.

She felt like she was in heaven. Ace was kissing her! She'd always thought he didn't think of her in the same way she thought of him, but clearly this wasn't the case. She returned the kiss, overjoyed that he was in one piece, too. She'd been so worried about him over the past week, and with all that had been happening, she felt she had every reason to worry that something else might harm him, physically and/or emotionally.

Eventually, after a cough from Jayme, the two pulled apart, but still held on to each other. "I thought for sure they would've done something to you," Ace whispered, "Like what they did to me. I was so scared that I'd never see you again."

Mira had to admit to herself that that had never crossed her mind. She'd been too focused on the danger Ace might be in that her own safety was never even considered. Yet he seemed to be more concerned about her.

"I was afraid they'd do something more to _you_ ," Mira admitted, "I'm so glad you're all right."

"I almost wasn't. Doyle nearly got me, but Jayme took care of him." Mira remembered seeing Doyle's body further back. It took her brain a second or two to connect that to the fact that Jayme had a gun.

"Oh. I saw... back there..." The boys bit their lips and looked at her with a gaze that told her they knew what she was talking about.

"We should meet up with the others," Shun stated, out of the blue, "Dan and Baron are taking on Shadow and Mylene right now, and Brandon's getting Ace and Jayme's parents out."

"Like I was saying earlier, we should head to the battle," Ace insisted, apparently continuing the argument they'd been having before she interrupted, "Shadow's probably still got my Bakugan with him. Going back to the base would make no sense! We're all in one piece, the next thing to do would be to get Percival and Falconfly back!"

"It's too risky!" Jayme argued back, "Every second we spend in this building, we run the risk of getting captured again!"

"Well, every second you two stand there arguing," Shun interrupted, "We run that risk anyway, so could you just agree on something already?"

"It was a risk coming here in the first place, already," Ace declared, "We came here completely aware of the danger, so there's no reason we should just back off now. I don't care if you want to go back to the base, but I'm getting my Bakugan back, even if I have to go alone!" With that, he turned and strode off down the hall. Mira immediately followed him and grasped his hand.

"You're not," she insisted, "Because I'm coming with you."

She heard Jayme give a resigned sigh behind her. "Fine, I'm coming, too. I've got your back, Squirt." Mira was a little surprised when Ace turned and gave his brother a small smile. The last time she'd seen the two of them together, they'd practically hated each other's guts!

"Uh, what'd I miss?" she quietly asked Shun, who of course only responded with a non-committal grunt and a shrug. Mira supposed she'd have to ask about it later. Right now, they had a mission to complete.

So, as if on some sort of invisible signal, all four of them set off down the hall.

* * *

"ABILITY ACTIVATE! BURNING TORNADO!" Drago dove at Elico, who, as it turned out, could switch attributes like Preyas and Elfin. His whole body became surrounded with flames, which engulfed the now Subterra-attributed Bakugan. Mylene's life gauge dropped to zero as her Bakugan landed at her feet.

"NO!" she shouted, "That's impossible!" Judging from Dan's previous impressions of her – which weren't much, as this was the first time he'd seen her in action (as by the time he'd arrived at her battle against Marucho, the match had been over, and Mylene had just lost to a mysterious hooded brawler that actually turned out to be Shun) – she didn't taking losing very well. Then again, the Vexos seemed to be notorious for that sort of attitude, like they thought they were superior and their place on the Vexos team had elevated them to a god-like status. That was one of the many reasons Dan couldn't stand them.

Of course, that made rubbing Mylene's loss in her face just a little more fun, to bring her down one peg further.

"So, where's that perfect Bakugan you were going on about?" he remarked, "Doesn't seem like you've played him yet, since your Elico was so easy to beat."

"Shut up!" the Vexos woman shouted, "Shadow, you'd better win this!"

The evil Darkus Brawler just laughed that freaky laugh of his. "No problem!" he said, "I'm gonna squash these little twerps into Brawler juice!"

"You think so?" Baron challenged, "ABILITY ACTIVATE! BOLTING ARROW!" The attack knocked Falconfly out of the battlefield, with enough power level difference to send the Trap Bakugan shooting into Baron's hand. "Yes! Check it out, Master Dan! We've got Falconfly back!"

"All right, Baron!" Dan congratulated his teammate, "Now let's get Percival!"

Shadow looked _very_ confused right now. "What? When? Where? _How_?!"

"Oh, shut up and pay attention!" Mylene snapped.

"You ready buddy?" Dan asked Drago.

"Let's do this!" his partner declared.

"ABILITY ACTIVATE! BURNING DRAGON!"

"ABILITY ACTIVATE!" Baron shouted, "RAVEN LORE!"

Both attacks barrelled forward and struck Percival right in the chest. "Come back to us, Percival!" Dan screamed. With a flash of purple, the Darkus Bakugan returned to ball form and soared into Dan's waiting hand as Shadow's life gauge dropped to zero. "All right! We did it!"

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Shadow wailed dramatically, "This is so not fair! I wanna rematch!"

Any response to his whining was interrupted by a loud rumbling sound from above. Over their heads, chunks of plaster were crumbling away from the ceiling, and the whole building was starting to shake.

"Whoa!" Dan exclaimed as he tried to keep his balance, "What's happening?"

"The Dimension Controller!" Mylene gasped, "It's part of the building structure! Now that it's smashed, this whole place is coming down!"

"Let's get out of here!" Dan turned on his heels and ran for the exit. He thanked his lucky stars that the room they were in was big enough to fit Drago, Percival, and Nemus as they suddenly grew to their natural sizes. Drago suddenly stopped and put out a clawed hand to block Dan's path just in time to keep a _huge_ portion of the ceiling from crushing him. Looking up, Dan saw that there was now a very large hole through which he could see the afternoon sky. "That's our way out!" he cried, jumping into Drago's hand.

When they came up out into the fresh air, Dan looked around and saw Nemus – with Baron perched on his shoulder – and Percival flying out behind them.

"I hope everyone else got out okay!" Baron called.

"Yeah," Dan agreed, "At least only the building was destroyed, and not the entire city. That would be a disaster!"

"DAN! BARON!" Dan whipped around, almost falling off, to see Wilda and Ingram soaring towards them. The latter had Shun standing on his head while the former carried Mira, Ace, and Jayme.

"Hey, guys!" Baron replied excitedly, "Glad to see ya!"

"Percival!" Ace shouted as he recognised his Bakugan. Percival flew over beside Wilda to be with his partner again.

Dan turned from the reunion to talk to Shun. "Where's Brandon?"

"He took Ace's parents back to the base. What about Marucho?"

"Volt and Lync ambushed the transport, so he went to help Kyli defend it. If Brandon's there now, that should give them a better chance at winning. Those Vexos have probably been taken care of." Shun nodded in agreement. "Okay, guys, let's head home!"

* * *

"Ace!" Ace bent down and caught his little sister as she came barrelling towards him. "I missed you! Guess what! Guess-what-guess-what-guess-what!"

Ace laughed. "What, Kiera?"

"While you were gone, Mommy and Daddy came back! I didn't know them when Brandon brought them, but then he and Kyli said they were our Mommy and Daddy! Can you believe it, Ace?! Can you?!"

"You bet I can, who do you think sent Brandon to bring them back here?"

Kiera squealed and hugged him tighter.

Mom and Dad rushed forward and joined the group hug, and so did Jayme. "This is like a dream," Mom whispered, "All five of us, together again, and this time for good."

Ace bit his lip. He knew his parents were planning on moving back into their old home in Beta City, but there was still the issue of the Vexos in Gamma City. The rest of the Resistance – now including the Jarvis siblings – were in town right now, explaining to the people the truth of the Bakugan, but they would soon be moving on. The only thing he wasn't sure of was whether or not he'd be going with them or staying with his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnnnnnnnyway, just one more chapter left! Coming... (drum roll, please) TOMORROW! Yes, you read right, TOMORROW! Then next week I'll be posting a new chapter of an old Digimon story. If that doesn't interest you, coming this fall or winter (maybe even next spring, I can't be certain) is my next Bakugan story, Bite Me, which takes place as if New Vestroia and Gundalian Invaders never happened, just because I started writing it before New Vestroia came out.
> 
> Read and Review Please, and tell me what you think!


	10. Epilogue: At Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here's the second-to-last chapter! I can't believe this is ending so soon! *Sobs* On the other hand, Scars is currently my most reviewed story, with 25 review and more to come (hint hint)!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bakugan: New Vestroia or any of its characters. I do own Jayme, Miranda, Schuyler, Kiera, Doyle, Kyli, and Brandon.

_"Are you sure about this, honey?" Mom asked sadly._

_Ace nodded slowly. "Yeah. I am. I really wish I could spend more time with you after the five years we've been apart. But I made a promise to help the Bakugan win back their freedom, and I can't go back on that. My friends need me in order to take down the last Dimension Controller, so I have to go."_

_Mom sniffed and gave him another tight hug. "Just promise you'll keep in touch and come back safe when it's all over, okay?"_

_"Of course. I'll miss you."_

* * *

Ace watched through one of the transport's windows as Beta City shrank into the distance. Since things were still a little unstable there, Kyli and Brandon had remained behind to hold down the fort, with his family's help. His parents, brother, and sister had been saddened that he wasn't staying, but they'd understood that this was something he needed to do. He felt it was an even bigger motivation for freeing the Bakugan; because, once their job was done, he could go back home, and they could be a family again.

Mira, standing next to him, put a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he turned to her and smiled. "One last Dimension Controller to go," he stated, "To think, we're actually almost finished."

"Don't say that!" Dan cried, "You'll jinx it!"

Ace rolled his eyes. "I don't believe in jinxes."

"Well, Dan does," Shun responded, smirking, "He's jinxed himself too many times to count."

"Have not!"

"Oh yeah? What about the time when you climbed a tree and declared the branches were stable only one second before they cracked and you fell?"

"That was an isolated incident!"

"Then what about the time with the pogo stick?" Marucho piped up.

“The pogo- I-I can’t _believe_ you’re bringing that up!”

Ace tuned out his teammates' arguing, smiling to himself. It was crazy, but the Resistance had become like a new family to him. They would be more than enough to fill the space in his heart until he got back home.

Home. When he thought about it, Ace realised that he also had a new home. He'd been living in the transport for who knows how long now; to be honest, he felt more at home there than anyplace else.

Although, all that might have been because of the girl standing beside him. Ace shared a gaze with Mira before giving her a gentle kiss, which she returned.

The shouting from his teammates was quickly silenced, until Dan broke the quiet. "Uh... Did I miss something here?"

Yes, he was at home here.

 

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnnnnnnnyway, just one more chapter left! Coming... (drum roll, please) TOMORROW! Yes, you read right, TOMORROW! Then next week I'll be posting a new chapter of an old Digimon story. If that doesn't interest you, coming this fall or winter (maybe even next spring, I can't be certain) is my next Bakugan story, Bite Me, which takes place as if New Vestroia and Gundalian Invaders never happened, just because I started writing it before New Vestroia came out.
> 
> Read and Review Please, and tell me what you think!


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